Culture
Languages of Pakistan
More than 70 languages are spoken in Pakistan. Urdu is the national language and English a co-official language, while Punjabi has the most speakers, followed by Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki and Balochi. Smaller languages such as Burushaski, Balti, Khowar, Shina and Wakhi are concentrated in the northern valleys.
Quick facts
- Languages spoken
- More than 70
- National language
- Urdu
- Most spoken
- Punjabi, about 39 per cent
- Language isolate
- Burushaski, Hunza and Nagar
Background
Punjabi is spoken by roughly 39 per cent of the population, Pashto by about 18 per cent and Sindhi by about 15 per cent, according to the 2023 census. Burushaski, spoken in Hunza and Nagar, is a language isolate with no known relatives. Several northern languages have fewer than 20,000 speakers and are considered at risk.
Key entries
- Urdu
National language and main lingua franca.
- Punjabi
Largest first language by number of speakers.
- Pashto
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan.
- Sindhi
Sindh; a long written literary tradition.
- Balti and Burushaski
Gilgit-Baltistan valley languages.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most spoken language in Pakistan?
- Punjabi, spoken by roughly 39 per cent of the population, though Urdu is the national language.
- What is Burushaski?
- A language isolate spoken in Hunza, Nagar and Yasin with no established relationship to any other language family.